Chef Thomas Catherall

Chef Tom Catherall, C.M.C., has served as a primary force in setting the tone for Atlanta's culinary scene for two decades. Hailing from England, Catherall launched his impressive career in 1964. Since then, he has worked his way through the ranks in hotels and restaurants from England to Bermuda to the West Indies and finally to Atlanta where he has established himself as one of the most highly respected chefs and restaurateurs.

In Georgia, Catherall first worked as executive chef of the Cherokee Town and Country Club. He then formed his own venture as co-owner and executive chef of Azalea, where he cemented his reputation over the next two years. In 1985, Catherall completed the certified master chef program at the Culinary Institute of America.

In 1990, Catherall's entrepreneurial spirit led him to open TomTom, a bistro and sushi bar, and founded Here to Serve Restaurants, a company that currently owns and operates a group of innovative restaurants in the Atlanta area. Over the next nine years, his restaurants became a favorite with diners and critics alike and his company a pace setter among area restaurateurs.

Prime, the highly-successful restaurant flagship at Lenox Mall, opened in 1996, serving steaks, seafood and sushi. In 1998, Noche, the company's tapas and margarita bar, was introduced to the Virginia Highland neighborhood in Atlanta. On the heels of its success, Goldfish - the first suburban location for the group - burst onto the scene, featuring seafood, sushi and steaks in edgy, hip surroundings. Twist, described as creative cuisine with a twist, is located in Atlanta's upscale Phipps Plaza. Peri Peri Chicken opened its doors in January 2005, delivering a variety of chicken - marinated, roasted and grilled-to-order for dine-in or take-out. Shout, the latest Here to Serve Restaurant, was introduced in February 2005. Shout-Food Fun and Flirt, is located at Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta, offering a tapas menu influenced by cultures from around the world, along with a sushi bar and wood burning pizza oven. The roof top lounge is also a popular draw for the Atlanta social scene to enjoy signature martinis, wood oven pizza and late night gatherings under the stars.

Accolades

Catherall and his restaurant have appeared on the cover of Atlanta Magazine and have been featured in articles in Bon Appetit, Southern Living Magazine, Esquire, Food and Wine and Nation's Restaurant News. Catherall also has been featured on the Food Network and recently modeled for the "Famous Chefs Naked with their Blender" Vita-Prep blender campaigns. He may be seen without his whites in the October 2002 issue of Food Arts Magazine.

Catherall has received many culinary awards and honors, including being named a 2004 Wisconsin Cheese Chef Ambassador, a 2000 Winner of Super Chef Cook Off on Turner Broadcasting (Atlanta Southeastern Division); a Gold Medal from the 1988 Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany; a 1993 National Title for Taste of Elegance from the National Pork Producers Council; the 1990 winner of the National Seafood Challenge; a Gold Medal at the 1986 A.C.F. Olympic Tryouts in Boston, Mass.; a 1985 Gold Medal at the NRA Show in Chicago, Ill. and the 1985 A.C.F. Gold Medal for the North Carolina Food Service Expo.